


The stranger’s visit

by Marvelanddcgeek



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Character Death, Child Death, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Infertility, M/M, Mentions of incest, Multi, Pregnancy, Unhappy marriage, age gap, royal stuff, royal stuff in general - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-24 13:08:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30072741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marvelanddcgeek/pseuds/Marvelanddcgeek
Summary: The kings and the queens of the four kingdoms receive a mysterious visit.
Relationships: America/Japan (one sided), China/Rome (Hetalia), England/Female France (Hetalia), Germany/Japan/North Italy (Hetalia)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	1. The Spade Kingdom

**Author's Note:**

> It’s my first time writing cardverse, and I went a bit off the normal canon used for them

King Alfred had been on the throne since he was fifteen years old, meaning he had had the title for four years on the next month. His father, Dowager Queen Arthur, still treated him as a child, much to his dismay. 

Ever since the day his mother passed away...King Françoise had, according to the doctors, died of a broken heart. His smallest brother, Prince Peter, had died six months before her on a strange accident, and she couldn’t handle the grief (neither could anyone else in his family, but his mother’s heart was weak). So had his friend, the soon to be King Gilbert of the Heart Kingdom.

As he was now “of age”, according to his kingdom’s laws, he had to pick a spouse...  
But that was an issue. 

“I told you I don’t want to marry anyone else “ Insisted the young man. That was a usual saying for him. 

“Alfred, you don’t have a choice” his father sighed “Kiku is now the Queen of Hearts, so let go of him”

Alfred had been stung by love at first sight when the young man had visited the continent alongside his older brother, Yao, who was currently the Spade Jack. His father had send them to find a way to establish a comercial relationship with the four kingdoms, and the siblings had agreed that the eldest would become a Jack, and the other a Queen. As his kingdom had lacked the first, Yao had been their advisor ever since. 

His mother had also considered that Kiku was too old to marry Alfred, and he had instead become the fiancé of King Gilbert, but the marriage never happened. Thus, Prince Ludwig, now King Ludwig, ended up having Kiku as his queen, while being the same age as Alfred. 

“Son, get your head out of the bloody clouds” said a pretty angry Arthur. 

“Sorry...”apologized Alfred, he tended to do that a lot, something he had inherited from his mother. 

“You are the king, and we need an alliance for the kingdom”

There was a knock on the door, and Yao opened it slowly. 

“Your majesty, did you request my presence?” Asked the brown haired man. 

“Yes, thank you for arriving “ his politeness never went away, even if he was angry. 

“Thank you...”Alfred tried to be polite as well

“Here are the two best suitors, as you requested” Yao put down the letters, as they had been sent as to request the marriage as soon as possible. 

Alfred sighed, “not this again” he thought . He had successfully avoided the topic for years, and now he was closer to getting married than any other day. Some days, he wished to pass the throne to his younger twin brother, Matthew, who was currently living as a ward on his uncle’s palace. He had no idea of why hadn’t his father allowed him to return yet. 

“This one was sent by your great grandfather, your highness” Yao said as he opened the letter. 

“Wait, why would the old man do that?” Alfred was pretty shocked by it. 

Arthur was already reading the letter as both spoke.

“He wants you to marry his youngest grandchild, Prince Romeo, or his other grandchild, Prince Lovino ” his father spoke. He nearly opened the other letter, but Yao was able to stop him. 

“I’m sorry, your majesty, but I think this one is for me” there was a rumor that Yao was being courted by former King Romulus, but no one could confirm it. 

“Eww, no way I’m marrying either of them. We are family” Alfred protested 

“Don’t be so childish, for Christ’s sake” Arthur wondered what had gotten into his son, those believes were something commoners often held “Anyways, who’s the other suitor ?”

“It’s Prince Toris, King Ivan’s cousin” Yao spoke, and things went worse. 

“NO WAY, IM NOT MARRYING ANYONE FROM THAT ROTTEN PLACE” the young man angrily shouted. “I’D RATHER MARRY A FUC-“

His father angrily made him shut up

“Watch your language, a king doesn’t use such profanity” he scolded his son “Now, marrying either of the Vargas gives us the chance to double our alliance with the Heart Kingdom, as their middle brother is the Jack of Hearts. However, we have no current alliance with the Kingdom of Clubs. Ideally, I’d prefer you to marry Lilly Zwingli, but she already married the fro-I mean, your uncle, King Francis “

“I’m not...I’m not gonna marry the ones responsible for killing my little brother, my mother, my aunt, my uncle and my friend” Alfred was unusually cold in the way he spoke. He usually wouldn’t blame anyone but Ivan, but it was no moment for rationality. 

All poor Yao could o was stay silent while the other two bickered 

“Don’t say those things...there’s no proof that King Ivan was involved in those accidents “ Arthur feared more than that: spies were common in all kingdoms after all, and you never knew who could be listening. 

“I have to agree with your father, my king” Yao had been warned by his little brother “it’s not wise to appeal to those rumors “

Alfred didn’t want to yell at them, but he couldn’t stop himself. 

“HE IS A MURDERER ! YOU KNOW IT! ALL THE OTHER KINGS, QUEENS AND JACKS KNOW IT!” He would usually try to keep himself down, or at least that’s what he thought “WE COULD HAVE HIM ARRESTED, IF ONLY YOU REALLY CARED ABOUT THEM “

“ENOUGH” yelled Arthur “You keep your stupid mouth shut. Yao, let’s give the king some space. He’s gonna stay in his room for a while “

Tho and adult and a king, his father would still lock him in his room at times. 

Alfred just stayed in his room alone, and sniffled a bit. He shouldn’t be a king, at least not yet. His mother should still be on the throne, his uncle Allistor should still be the Diamond Jack, his little brother should be playing with him, his aunt Alice should still be the Diamond Queen, and his friend should be the King of Hearts. 

“Rough night, huh?” A voice next to him asked

“Who are you?” Alfred had no way to defend himself, so he had to be cautious, or cautious to his standard “tell me or I’m gonna...well, I’m gonna do something !”

“Hmm, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you anyways” the mysterious figure had white hair and red eyes, tho Alfred didn’t seem him that way. To the young king, the stranger had raven hair and the same applied to his eyes. His clothes, however, were and appeared to be as black as night 

“Well, then how did you get here?” The door was closed, and the window was too freaking tall for someone to climb. 

“Oh, that’s a secret “ the stranger chuckled “enough questions. Now tell me, your majesty, why don’t you cut your poor father some slack and marry already ?”

Alfred rolled his eyes “Not you too”. He probably needed to get smacked a bit more. 

The stranger chuckled. This king was still a kid “Kiku is married to King Ludwig. He loves him dearly...And you two barely spoke a word”

If Alfred had more common sense, he would question why a stranger knew such things. Good thing he was to busy being angry by his comment. 

“So? Most kings and queens barely speak before marrying...I’d rather marry him than one of my cousins, or anyone related to that murderous bastard Ivan” Alfred declared. He turned to look to the other side. 

“Hmm, what proofs do you have that Ivan did what you claim?” The stranger already knew the answer “Ask yourself: would your mother have wanted you to be like that with your father?”

Alfred didn’t respond, but the answer was obvious. As he turned around to answer the stranger’s questions, he was already gone. 

“I’ll marry...I’ll marry Prince Toris” Alfred sighed. He knew that the young man was the better option, specially as they weren’t kin. 

“This kid is going to give me grey hairs” Queen Arthur complained. 

“Your majesty, don’t let him affect you. He’ll have to marry eventually” Yao reminded the queen. 

“Perhaps also cut the poor boy some slack” said the same stranger who had visited the king. 

“Who are you, and what are you doing here ?” Arthur could feel something was strange about this stranger

“Neither of you can tell? What a pity, I thought no one could forget my handsome face” The Stranger had already known he wouldn’t be recognized anyways “You already asked your questions, so now I’ll ask mine”. 

“Wait, but you didn’t answer the Queen’s second question!” Yao protested 

“There’s also no answer for that “ the stranger shrugged “Don’t you see your boy is still grieving? Not to mention, he definitely isn’t the only one”

“How dare you speak with that tone?” Arthur said angrily. 

“Pardon me, your majesty, but doesn’t the king have a twin brother? Prince Matthew, who you haven’t seen in a while” the stranger remarked 

“Why is that relevant?” The Jack asked. 

“Isn’t it weird that the poor boy hasn’t been here for a while? You barely spoke to him at his mother’s funeral as well” it was cruel to remind him about that, but the stranger knew nothing could happen to him. 

“I’ll have your to head on a pike if you don’t shut your mouth immediately” Arthur promised

“Could it be that looking at him is too hurtful, your majesty? “ the stranger inquired “After all, he reminds you of your lost loved ones, doesn’t he ? So does your oldest son, but he is the worst: he looks like his mother and aunt, he is as childish as his youngest brother and is as rebellious as his uncle. I guess that losing him would prove quite hard to you”

“That’s none of your business” the one to answer was Yao, as the stranger had hit a nerve that silenced the queen. The Jack turned his head to speak with the queen “Your majesty, just give the order and I’ll get the guards to catch h-“

“Oh, don’t bother, they won’t catch me. “The strange knew it was impossible “And I’d suggest you agree to marry old man Romulus, it’s not everyone who gets his interest “

Yao was red as a tomato, and before he could say something, the queen spoke. 

“Write a letter to King Francis, I’ll tell Matthew to come visit us” Arthur said softly “and let the king out of his room “

“Your majesty, what about the intruder ?” Yao asked him 

“Well, seeing that he somehow disappeared the second we took our eyes from him, I say that let’s pretend we never saw him”


	2. The Diamond Kingdom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Francis has a new wife

King Francis was regarded as a good king. He had been married with Queen Alice for ten years, after being engaged from a young age. During that time, they didn’t have any children, but loved their nephew Matthew as one as he had been sent to stay as a ward. 

Tho he took the throne at fifteen when his grandfather decided to retire to explore the world (everyone suspected he was just bored), he had been a kind and wise king for his subjects. 

The one issue most commented in his kingdom, even those closest to him, was his lack of a heir. While he loved Queen Alice a lot, it seemed that she was unable to bear children. Many suggest that he casted her aside, but he refused every time and threatened anyone who dared to make such a remark in her presence. 

Even his Queen insisted it was the wisest thing to do, but the Diamond King believed that love was more important to anything else. He was happy with her after, and since the kingdom prospered, the topic was untouched. That was until tragedy struck. 

Queen Alice and her brother the Diamond Jack were going to attend the funeral of his sister. As King Francis had to attend some business before parting , they left in separate carriages. The king and their nephew Matthew were puzzled when they arrived before the Queen and her brother, and so was the Queen’s brother and other nephew. 

As the funeral was about to start, the searching party had to wait until it was done.Where they too late, or would they have been too early ?

No one would have been able to tell, as the Queen, the Jack and the driver were already dead. An accident, or had someone caused the carriage to fall of the cliff? 

The Club Kingdom’s King was blamed, even by those in of his kingdom. King Ivan was feared, and thus no one tried to investigate it, to prevent upsetting the king even more. 

King Francis had once been proposed to marry the elder Club Princess, but his deceased father had him engaged with Princess Alice instead, something that deeply offended the then Prince Ivan. Was there another good reason to blame him? Perhaps how fast he was able to locate the carriage, but nothing else. 

King Francis had refused to remarry after that, even when his retired grandfather insisted he needed a hair as soon as possible. Prince Matthew, his beloved nephew, could have easily been his heir.   
Could have, but the poor boy wouldn’t been accepted, even if his mother had been the kingdom’s princess. 

His predicament could have been easily solved, if the mysterious council who helped marriages of the same gender have children in order to maintain alliances had agreed to due the same for him and Alice. But, due to their tradition, they wouldn’t help if the spouses were of the same gender. That was their reasoning, but it wasn’t enough. 

His own council knew they needed a heir quick, so they had arranged a marriage behind the king’s back. He would have never agreed to marry a girl younger than his own twin nephews otherwise. 

He remembered how his now deceased sister had declined a marriage between her heir and the now Queen Kiku, who was engaged to his deceased friend once. 

‘My brother, Alfred and Matthew are five years younger than him. When he was training in order to be a diplomat, the two of them were barely learning to read. Perhaps if they were older I’d consider it, but right now it’s not the correct choice’

Compared to his new wife, that difference seemed minuscule. The girl, Lilly, could have easily been his daughter (wether he had any child running around, he didn’t know. He wasn’t his cousin Antonio or his cousin Spain to have sired so many children off marriage).

To say he was furious once he found out what the council had done behind his back was an understatement. Some say he was as terrifying as King Ivan, but not even half as cruel. 

He knew he needed an alliance with the Club Kingdom, as much as he hated to say that out loud, but to marry a child who should still enjoy her youth was simply cruel. No one even dared to suggest that he father a heir, or that person or group of people would’ve seen their heads roll pretty fast. 

If anyone asked him, he would’ve rather marry his current Jack.At least he wasn’t a child, which was an improvement. 

“My Queen, this is for you” King Francis presented her with a beautiful porcelain doll that he himself had commissioned.

“Thank you, my King”Lilly gracefully accepted the gift and carefully picked the door with her hands “she’s so beautiful...I’m going to call her Joan”

“The name suits her very well” smiled the King. 

Her bedroom looked like that of any other kid her age: she had the dolls beautifully arranged, and she would occasionally switch the one she was currently sleeping with. (Tonight would be Joan’s turn for example). There were also several stuffed animals, such as a little goat her older brother had given her for her last birthday. Some jewels that had belonged to her mother could also be seen, and so could many beautiful dresses. 

King Francis’ advisors had wanted them to share the same bedroom, but he utterly refused. The Queen was entitled to her own privacy, and he would respect that. He had been a lady’s man when he was a teenager, and many would condemn his behavior as inappropriate, but he had grown past it. 

His brother-in-law and current Jack, Vash, was standing outside the door. His cousin had arranged the marriage, and even if he wasn’t thrilled about it, he accepted it as he wanted to protect his sister. As they lived in the kindgom’s limits, they didn’t have to deal a lot with their cousin as had the king’s other cousins. While he wasn’t sure why Princess Natalya wasn’t proposed, he was happy to get out of the kingdom. 

A skilled archer who roamed the kingdoms as a mercenary at a surprisingly young age, he had returned home upon his parents death. When he was informed that his sister was set to marry King Francis, he was able to hide his anger. He even had planned to poison the king if he tried to do anything to his little sister, but that was until he found that he had nothing to do with the decision. 

Still, he preferred to stay close to her, and being the Jack, he had a perfect excuse to remain on her side. 

“Your Majesty, there’s a letter from Queen Arthur” he informed the king. “Please excuse us, sis-I mean, your highness”

Lilly nodded as her brother and her husband left, and went back to brush her new doll’s hair. She was a sweet girl who loved her big brother a lot, even if others would find him cold and intimidating. The news that she would now be a queen came as a surprise, and even if she didn’t want to admit it, she was scared.

Why wouldn’t she? Lily was barely a child herself. She couldn’t be more thankful of how kind and caring her husband was, but calling him husband felt weird. So, she was glad of the way he was with her. 

After finding out she’d now be a queen, she chose to study a bit more. It wasn’t just the King’s duty to run the kingdom, she was also responsible. Sometimes she’d study with her new nephew (Matt would often forget to call her aunt, and would rather go with Queen seeing she was younger than him) who knew more about the kingdom than his own. A good Queen needed to know the rules of her land after all. 

One of her best ways of remembering the laws was to recite them to her brother, when he was free, or her dolls, when he wasn’t. She was trying to repeat the kingdom’s constitution, hoping to learn it very soon. 

“I think the doll will learn it soon, but I doubt you want her to repeat it” a mysterious stranger he appeared on her room.

While most girls would’ve screamed and called for the guards, she knew two things: 1.if the stranger wanted to kidnap her, he would’ve already done that 2.She just knew he meant no harm. 

“It would certainly be scary if she did” agreed Lily. 

“Ja, dolls are only mean to be companions, unlike queens” he spoke quite gently to the girl. “And you seem to have plenty of them”

“Some of them were my mother’s dolls”the girl said fondly. “My brother brought me some from his trips, and my cousins would send me one for each birthday. My father also brought me some from our own kingdom.”

“It seems like most of them are from the Heart Kingdom and the Club Kingdom “the stranger could easily tell that. 

“I was born in the Clubs Kingdom, but my mother was born in the Heart Kingdom. My cousin is the king now, but he used to have an older brother. I imagine it must hurt him, I can’t imagine how it would be if I lost mine”

“He most be a good brother, for you to feel that way about him” commented the stranger. 

“He is, and I love him very dearly” the girl knew a lot of things wouldn’t been the same if he had chosen to remain groaning the kingdoms. 

“Be sure to listen to him, big brothers are good sources of knowledge.” This child thankfully wasn’t like the Spade King, so there wasn’t much to tell her“would you mind if I grab this ?”

“The stuff dolphin?” Asked the young Queen, quite puzzled. 

“Yes. It’s alright if you say no, but I know someone who loves the sea very much” the stranger explained. 

“You may take it, consider him a gift from the Diamond Kingdom” she offered him the dolphin and the stranger grabbed it. 

“Thank you, your majesty “ he said sincerely. 

There was a knock on the door, and so Lily turned went to answer. 

“I’m sorry, your majesty, but I heard someone else speaking with you” said her worried nephew. He was quite shy, so he didn’t just open like door like his siblings would have done. 

“Oh, I was with...”she had forgotten to ask for the stranger’s name, much to her dismay. She turned her back to do so, but the stranger was now gone. 

“So Queen Arthur wants me to send Matthew over to his kingdom?” Asked a puzzled King Francis “he has barely the boy to visit his own home for the last years”

“That’s what the Spade Jack wrote on his letter, your highness” explained the young man.

“I suppose he’s finally come into his senses” muttered the King “go fetch him and tell him what his father wants, please”

The boy nodded and went on his way to find the Spade Prince. 

“Any reason you think he hadn’t been on his senses before?” The stranger asked the king. 

The king was startled at first, but he wouldn’t mind opening his mind.

“Prince Matthew resembles my late sister quite a lot. While he is the twin brother of the king, he took more after our side. His father wouldn’t say it out loud, but everyone knew. It’s the same reason as to why he stopped sailing: his youngest child loved the sea” explained the king.

“My, I can’t blame him in that case”  
Tho the stranger already knew that “Is that also why you keep the prince around?”

The king sighed “It’s selfish, but yes. He also reminds me of my sister, but he has the eyes of my late queen Alice. That boy is also the closest thing I have had to a son”

“You were in I’ve with her, weren’t you?” Asked the stranger. 

King Francis simply nodded “Alice was the love of my life. I would’ve rather name Matthew my sucesor, but my council has the marriage with Lily”

“She is barely half of your age” pointed out the stranger. 

“I know...while my grandfather doesn’t have an issue with it, seeing he’s courting a man younger than him” he wondered if the Jack would actually accept “but I think she’s too young to be married. She’d be too young for my nephew or his brother as well” 

“Seems like you were put on an unfair situation “ thought the stranger “not to mention what kingdom she’s from”

“I know many blame the Club King, and even I have my suspicions, but the girl isn’t guilty” King Francis knew what his oldest nephew believed “She is also not that close to King Ivan”

“You make a fair point” agreed the Stranger “pardon me for this last question, your majesty: you need heirs, when are you...”

“When the Queen feels ready, and when I feel ready “he would rather not hear the last part of the question “Love can’t be forced upon, for neither of us or for anyone. She is also a kid who should be focusing on playing with her dolls”

“You are far wiser than many kings I’ve seen “ the stranger complimented him “I bid you farewell, your majesty . I hope you remember the awesome me”

Those last words left the king quite puzzled: he just knew one man with an ego so big to calm himself like that. He blinked and was going to ask him who he was, but the stranger was now gone. 

“Goodby, my friend” said the king to no one in particular. He just stayed there as his nephew arrived 

“...and that’s why my father uses the title of Queen instead of King” explained Prince Matthew to Vash. 

“I have to admit that’s quite interesting “ answered the Jack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, while I know it was common in Middle Ages, kings didn’t really want child brides


	3. The Heart Kingdom

Queen Kiku was resting on the room he shared with his husband, King Ludwig, as the former was busy discussing some topics with his council. Kiku wasn’t needed for it, so he was allowed to retire himself earlier. There was a knock on the door and Feliciano, the Heart Jack, opened the door. 

“My queen, your brother sent you a letter” the Jack said and entered the room after closing the door behind him. 

“Thank you, Feliciano” as he reached to grab the letter, the Jack moved it out of his reach 

“I’m sorry my queen, but you know there’s a payment before you can read your letter” Feliciano teased him. 

Kiku rolled his eyes but chuckled and reached to give his Jack a kiss on the lips. As he did, King Ludwig opened the door to see his husband kissing the Jack. 

In other kingdoms, at least one of them would be losing his head. For other kings, that would be an absolute insult that could even make them kill their queen. 

However, the Jack wasn’t only the Queen’s lover. 

“You can read it to our king, but I will also need his payment “ the Jack smirked. 

“You really enjoy this too much” King Ludwig complained, but kissed Feliciano as well. 

“Of course I do” he chuckled after giving the card to Kiku, who went on to read it on their bed . 

“Well, it seems that your grandfather keeps insisting on marrying my brother” those were some odd words to say “But he’s actually considering it”

“What can i say? Our charm is most definitely a family thing” commented Feliciano with a smirk. 

Queen Kiku chuckled, something he only did around the two. King Ludwig smiled fondly at them. 

“I’ll remind him that the colors of his kingdom are yellow, that’ll make himaccept for sure” commented the Queen

“What does your brother have with colors?” Asked a curious Feliciano 

“He thinks they have special meanings which can’t be ignored. While many even in our kingdom thought he took it too far, he hasn’t actually been wrong about it ” the queen explained “When we were discussing which kingdom I would be married to, the color red was the most favored one as it brings good luck and happiness”

That’s also why his brother became a Jack in the Spade Kingdom, tho he didn’t disclose to Kiku that he could’ve been married to Alfred. 

“You bring the same to us” King Ludwig said with a smile 

The Queen blushed before continuing “He also says that King Alfred is possibly going to marry Prince Toris, one of King Ivan’s cousin” that came as a shock to everyone. 

“There’s no way that was his idea” commented King Ludwig. He knew Alfred and his feelings towards the Clubs. 

“Perhaps his father managed to convince him “ wondered Feliciano 

“Yao says those two bicker a lot, so I doubt it’s that...however, he says that both the King and the Queen had an stranger visit them last night “ he said as he finished reading the letter. 

“I can’t believe King Alfred is considering marrying someone from the Club Kingdom” Ludwig wouldn’t usually made a comment like that. 

The young King of Spades had come to speak with him privately a bit after his brother died. 

““ _Ludwig...sorry, King Ludwig.” King Alfred had trouble remembering to use titles “Please, help_

_ have that bastard Ivan hanged for taking away our brothers “ _

_ Alfred was a young and cheerful child, who dreamed of being a hero. Always saying that he’d be a knight, and defend everyone from evil.  _

_ And now he wanted to kill someone.  _

_ Was he looking at how Gilbert would’ve reacted if he had died in his place? _

“ Weird things can happen, and so do miracles “ thought Feliciano, who was now laying next to Kiku. The older one had his head laying against his chest, exhausted from his long day. “Or so I guess”

“It seems like it...” Ludwig muttered. He went to lay next to his queen as well “are you tired, my dear?”

“Just a bit” answered Kiku, shifting into a position so both of them could hold him. 

“What about you, honey?” He asked the same question to Feliciano. 

“I definitely am, I had to skip my nap” he complained, hugging Kiku a bit more. 

The Heart Kingdom was pretty liberal with the kinds of relationships it approved, so everyone knew that the the King and the Queen had a lover. They, however, didn’t know they shared the same lover. 

While there were five years between Kiku and Ludwig, but two and a half between Feliciano and Ludwig, and two and a half between Feliciano and Kiku (Feliciano, however, thought Kiku was the youngest of the three). That situation had allowed him to get close to both of them. 

Kiku’s family had been marveled at Ludwgi’s determination and maturity when he had reached out to accept marrying their son while he was still grieving his eldest brother. He knew that a compromise couldn’t be so easily broken, and had no issue marrying Kiku. 

However, the age difference between the King and the Queen made things complicated for them, and their shy personalities certainly didn’t help. As such, they’d often need help of their Jack to interact with each other. 

Feliciano’s easy going and carefree personality would have been an issue for most royal houses, and so was his tendency to randomly hug people and being incredibly affective. But it was just was the Heart Kingdom needed. 

He got close to both of them, charming them and helping them come out of their cocoon. Queen Kiku was in a foreign land and barely spoke the language, but Feliciano was able to slowly teachhim things they both like: art, good food and the animals that lived there. The Queen was pretty fond of Feliciano’s cat, Gino, who reminded him of his cat Tama, who was residingback in his homeland and stayed there as they had no idea of a foreign land could affect the animal . 

King Ludwig’s personality had made him immediately want to take care of Feliciano, who he also made train as he considered him to be physically unfit (Feliciano knew how to avoid it, thankfully). Their relationship could come as a surprise for anyone, but Ludwig slowly started to see some advantages of relaxing once in a while (very once in a while) and his cooking as well. Their friendship did feel as something else, but he felt bad as not feeling the same for his Queen. 

A smart Jack would have seen a way to use this to their advantage. A unscrupulous one would have used that situation to have the king and queen take decisions that would only be advantageous to whoever they wanted. 

Feliciano didn’t. Was that a proof that he wasn’t smart? Perhaps it was, but it proved that he was a kind person. After three years, he was able to encourage both of them to try expanding their relationship more. His knowledge about their likes came in pretty handy, more than how to properly command an army for sure. 

Ludwig decided to take Kiku to meet his royal pets, Aster, Blackie, and Berlitz. Kikuwas very intimidated by the dogs, since he was used to smaller dogs like his Poochi, but he grew fond of them quickly. The blonde also let the royal mice hunters (Well, cats, but his late brother came up with that name and he refused to change it) see his Queen as Feliciano informed him that he was fond of cats, which greatly amused Kiku. His brother’s pet bird would occasionally allow himself to be pet by both, and thus Kiku grew closer to Ludwig. 

The same applied back: the Queen, made aware of the King’s fondness for sweet food by the Jack, prepared him some of his homeland’s desserts. While Kiku was upset that the flavor wasn’t the same, Ludwig adored the flavors. His shyer personality also mixed well, and so did his quite impressive knowledge about military tactics. 

Feliciano saw them and felt happy to do a good job, but thought they’d both soon forget about him. Thankfully, he was wrong. 

Ludwig felt he had to admit that he had a lover, and so did Kiku. They were quite surprised after finding out it was the same person, but it also meant the three of them all be happy together.

And they were. As now, while Ludwig saw the two of them sleep, he couldn’t help but smily fondly before giving them the good news. 

“We are going to have a child” he announced happily. 

Kiku’s eyes went wide and he rushed to hug his husband, and so did Feliciano. 

“Have you thought of a name yet?” Asked the Queen. 

“Gilbert, if it’s a boy...”That wasn’t a surprise for anyone “I haven’t thought of a name if it’s a girl, but I’ll love them regardless”

If anyone asked Ludwig what a father should do, he would basically be describing everything the late King Gilbert did for him. Their mother died upon Ludwig’s birth, and their father was mortally wounded shortly after that.Gilbert was twelve, but he decided to take care of the kingdom and his little brother. 

He saw Ludwig say his first words and take his first steps. He thought him to read, write and do math. He thought him to not be afraid of a simple storm, and to bravely ride a horse. He would even take the young prince to any important meeting, and introduced him to his two best friends: King Francis and his cousin, Prince Antonio. 

Even from a young age, Ludwig heard a rumor as to why his brother was still a bachelor: he had focused on raising his little brother, and didn’t have time to look for a Queen. He had also been rumored to have been in love with the now Club Queen....

Ludwig was probably going to marry Prince Alfred and become the Spade Queen, and if he had been born a few years earlier, he could have also been the Club Jack instead of their cousin Roderich. 

That was until both Gilbert and the youngest Spade prince died, which meant the Kingdom went to him. 

“Sometimes I wish...I wish he was still the king” Ludwig admitted, tho he loved his Jack and Queen a lot “He was a good king, and my big brother as well”

“I understand how you feel” sighed Feliciano “My brother Romano was meant to be the Jack, but our grandfather convinced King Francis to name me instead. Romano said I was dead to him and refuses to speak to me. He was my beloved big brother, but chose to sail away with our cousin Antonio. I wonder if he would do a better job than I do”

Queen Kiku hugged them both “That’s past can’t be changed , my dears...I love you both more than I can express, and wouldn’t wish that my life was any different”

Both Feliciano and Ludwig smiled and hugged their beloved Kiku back. Noticing the queen was tired, the King insisted that they should rest. The Jack lost no time and took his clothes off to sleep (he had a weird habit of sleeping naked) while the queen put on his night clothes. 

“Are you going to sleep as well, my king?” Asked the tired queen as he took le dc himself next to the Jack, who trapped him in a hug. 

“Not yet, I forgot I had to do something” it was obviously a lie, but Kiku decided to believe it. 

Ludwig left to just walk around by himself, tho he also got a stranger’s visit. The stranger didn’t talk, but just gave him a hug, which the King returned. After all, he hasn’t hugged his dear brother in a long time. 


	4. The Club Kingdom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to repost it

King Ivan was a lot of things, and most people would agree on something: he wasn’t a person you wanted to anger. 

He could also be unpredictable and cruel. He was suspected to have been involved in the deaths of King Gilbert, Prince Peter, Queen Alice and the Diamond Jack. 

In the first incident, he had been the only other person present on the mysterious hole were the first two fell. Could he have perhaps want to push King Gilbert ?

His wife, Elizabetha, had been a friend of the king when they were both young. There were rumors that they loved each other, rumors that hurt Ivan. 

Isn’t it silly? He, the king of Clubs, was jealous. Of course, seeing he was friendless, he couldn’t help so. But had he actually pushed the King of Hearts? Had he, perhaps, killed him before hand and used the hole to get rid of his body?

Maybe the young Prince of Spades had curiously followed them, eager to be close to the kings. Maybe he had seen or heard something he shouldn’t have, and Ivan had to get rid of him. 

Ivan, however, couldn’t remember any of it. He just recalled the eldest Spade Prince punching him in the gut and face with a strength a young man his age shouldn’t even have possessed. He also remembers how the blonde had to dragged away by around four other men who were barely able to hold him back. 

Would he really kill someone out of jealously ? Would he really bring himself to kill a child ? He tried not to be unreasonably cruel after all (or so he thought, but others would disagree).

The other incident had involved the Diamond Queen and her Jack. Ivan was sure he’d be trusted when he informed the location of their carriage, but it seemed to have just made thing worse for him. 

Surely people remembered how the Diamond King didn’t marry his oldest sister, Katyusha. And of course Ivan wasn’t happy: she would’ve been a good monarch. She should’ve also inherited the throne, but their father considered she was as too weak willed. Besides, only men could have the throne in their kingdom. 

But his sister was happily married now, with a man who loved her dearly, despite Ivan finding him slightly scary. So was their little sister Natalya, who he made sure to let her know she had to marry a man or a woman who wasn’t her sibling, and thus she married into a family of the strange northern people who they had recently made peace with. 

But...even his queen believed he had been responsible for the accident. She didn’t say so directly, but he could tell by the look in her eyes. Their marriage wasn’t a happy one before, but after the incidents, it just became worse. 

Ivan longed for Elizabetha’s love, but he knew she was terrified of him. He longed for the friendship of his Jack, but it Roderich was wary of him. Besides his sisters, he knew no one had ever really cared about him, or wanted to call him a friend. 

Even his cousins, Toris, Raivis and Eduard, feared him. But did they even have a reason? Ivan treated them just like his father had treated him after all...

He had a meeting with Toris regarding his possible marriage to the (stupid) King of Spades, and he had been mysteriously avoiding him afterward. Ivan wondered if he had been perhaps too hard. 

To clear his mind a bit, he decided to go for a walk in the royal garden. There found a beautiful sunflower, and decided that maybe his queen would like it. He took it and went back to their chamber, where she usually was. 

Lately, she had been there even more. She would barely eat anything, and she would immediately need to rush to the bathroom if she did. Asides from that, she felt more tired each day. 

“My Queen, I found this on our garden” Ivan spoke gently “ it’s beauty reminded me of you”

“T-thanks, my king” the queen said, but quite shaken. She took the flower and placed it in a near flower pot “it’s beautiful...”

Ivan could tell she wasn’t feeling well, which made him feel worried. 

“Are you feeling alright?” He asked worriedly “I can ask the Jack to postpone anything meetings today so I can take care of y-“

“No!” Queen Elizabetha accidentally said too worriedly “I mean, no, my king. T-those meetings are very important “

Ivan knew the last part was true, but it still felt like a lie. 

“Alright, my queen” he gently kissed her forehead “make sure to take the rest you need. Please call me if you need anything” 

He decided to just wonder the halls for a while. The queen, every single one of his cousins, and sometimes even his sisters were afraid of him. Vash, his cousin and new Diamond Jack, seemed to eager to leave the kingdom as well, tho he lived in its limits along his sister and new Diamond Queen. 

Many people called him a murder, a wicked and evil person capable of even killing an innocent child.

“Perhaps...perhaps I did the bad things others said I did “ he sadly said out loud “People wouldn’t believe it if it wasn’t true” 

“Your majesty, that’s a pretty false supposition” a strange voice said behind his back 

“Are you an intruder ?” Ivan wouldn’t have an issue dealing with him. 

“I guess I am, but I doubt you’ll be able to kick me out anyways” the stranger was thankful that the king couldn’t harm him 

“So you are !” But he wouldn’t get rid of him immediately, it was nice to have someone who wouldn’t run away from him. 

The stranger chuckled “well, I guess so. But does it matter ? I just wanted to have some words with you “

“You do?” Ivan asked, both surprised and happy, but he didn’t want to show it “I’ll allow it, then.”

“I do...And I wanted to tell you are innocent, but not of all crimes” the stranger knew it was better to just be straightforward with him. 

King Ivan blinked twice. “Are you sure?” He asked. Not even he believed he was actually innocent.

“More than I’ve ever been about anything else “ the stranger explained.

“And how is that?” He would need more proof.

“Well, because I am alive” answered the stranger “Because the child you think you murdered is also alive. Because the Diamond Queen’s carriage did indeed suffer an accident no one could have prevented.” The stranger answered “You are by no means a saint. In fact, I don’t think you even qualify to be a good person, but you definitely aren’t a murderer “

The first two revelations confused King Ivan even more. Was it possible? 

“You can’t be King Gilbert” King Ivan replied “Your hair isn’t as white as snow, and your eyes aren’t red like blood. You and Prince Peter died, and everyone knows I killed you”

“You can believe wether I am or not King Gilbert” he knew it wouldn’t be easy to make him believe it “but answer me, your highness: would you ever have tried to murder a kid?”

King Ivan was going to say what everyone else though, but he couldn’t. He simply shook his head. 

“And prince Peter knows it. He remembers how you tried to prevent him from falling, but it wasn’t your decision wether he would fall or not.” The stranger explained “You, Ivan the Club King, are many things that I don’t dare to repeat as I still fear you would find a way to snap my neck if I said them out loud, but a murderer isn’t on the list. Please remember my words, and I bid you farewell”

Before the King could say anything, the stranger simply left. He knew it wouldn’t help if he just disappeared this time, all things considered. 

“I’m not...I’m not a murderer” King Ivan managed to say. 

“Roderich...this is terrible” the Queen answered as se carefully touched her stomach 

“My queen, you and the king are finally having a heir” The Club Jack spoke, tho he didn’t exactly disagree with her. 

Elizabetha sobbed, but it was easy to tell it wasn’t of happiness: her state was empty, as if all life from it had suddenly drained. Her chin trembled and so did her hands, still remembering the news the royal doctor had told her. 

“May i be of assistance ?” The Jack asked. Even if he was a rather stoic man, he still worried for the Queen. 

“I-it’s alright...I think I need to be alone” Elizabetha requested. The Jack nodded and left the room. 

The news of having a baby should make their parents happy, and the Queen knew that, but she didn’t wish to have one with Ivan. While the King was never cruel to her and any time they were together it’d be consensual, she knew he was far from being a kind man. 

Pretty much everyone in the court had let her known as soon as they were married, even treating it like her worst mistake. At first she didn’t want to believe it, but eventually, she had seen a kid or things she wished she could unsee. Elizabetha even wrote to her mother for advice, who told her to just remain silent and be a good wife. 

Of course, how could she stay quiet when her husband was a murderer ? He had gone as far as to kill a child, and someone who had once been very dear to her. Besides, there were more problems with her husband. 

A few weeks ago, Ivan and his cousin, Prince Toris, went to discuss the former’s possible engagement for the Spade King. She knew the prince would rather not get married as he was in love with someone else, and understood his position very well. 

Elizabetha didn’t know what went on during their meeting, but the next time he saw Toris, he had a purple eye and his lips were cut. It was sadly not so uncommon, specially for the prince. She tried to ask him what had happened, but he refused to speak. 

The Queen then asked her husband what had happened, but claimed he didn’t harm him. He had just done what his father would do when he misbehaved, which gave her a strangely bad feeling. That same afternoon, she found out she was pregnant. 

“Maybe I should run away” Elizabetha said out loud. 

“To where?” A familiar voiced asked. When she turned around, his face was definitely not familiar. 

“Anywhere but here” she wasn’t scared, considering who her husband was “This is no place to raise a child”

“My dear queen, can you tell me why you say that?” The stranger asked 

“My husband...the king isn’t a good man” she answered while gently rubbing her stomach “He’d be cruel to our child, like his father was to him and like he is to the other princes”

“Hmm, that is a very valid concern” the stranger knew about the king’s cruelty after all “but I feel something else troubles you”

“You are right” she sighed “ I don’t want my child to grow up with a murder as a father”

The stranger chuckled “My dear queen, worry not. Your husband might be a lot of things, but he isn’t a murderer.”

Elizabetha wished she was as clueless as the stranger “Where have you been? It’s a well known secret that he caused the accident that killed the Diamond Queen and the Diamond Jack. He also murdered the Prince of Spades, and the Heart king...” she said the last name with a quiet voice. 

“My dear Elizabetha...I’m alive, and so is Peter. ” the stranger didn’t hug her like he had with his brother, as she was different than him. 

“Please don’t joke like that, it’s cruel”the queen pleaded. 

“If it is, maybe you should hit me with your pan” the stranger smirked.

Elizabetha went for a hug, tho she was really considering using her pan. She sobbed on his chest, the warm tears hitting it slowly. 

“I guess I didn’t wack you enough “ she sobbed “Gilbert...what happened to you?”

“That, I sadly can’t answer” the stranger said softly while he hugged her back. 

“Does Ludwig know?” She asked. The young King had suffered a lot after he lost his older brother. 

“I went to visit him yesterday”he answered “but for now, I can’t tell him or you what happened to me. Just know that your husband isn’t a murder”

“That’s a relief, but he is still Ivan” she replied, still not letting him go. 

“And you are still Elizabetha, aren’t you?” The stranger asked “The Elizabetha I knew wouldn’t stay quiet knowing that someone was doing something wrong. Queens aren’t mere companionship, they’re there to help the kingdom and those who née it. The child is yours too, and you’re the Queen of everyone in this kingdom.”

“My mother claims I need to be a proper lady” she feared the woman more than she feared Ivan. 

“Has that really worked ?” the stranger asked. 

She shook her head.

“Then don’t be a proper lady, be a Queen. Make the King know that you won’t tolerate the way he threats others. Just because his father did it with him doesn’t mean it’s okay...but don’t hit him with your pan, it could be a contradiction”

Elizabetha chuckled “he’s far to talk for it anyways”. 

“That is true”the stranger smiled “I easy best the three of you, and for that stuck up prick of my cousin too”

“Will I see you again?” Elizabetha asked, intrigued. 

“I can’t say for sure if you will, but there’s a good chance” the stranger answered “Good bye, my dear friend” he said after kissing her forehead. 

“Goodbye, Gilbert” the queen said softly. 

The stranger went to the nearest window and appeared to jump from it, but no sound was heard.

King Ivan opened the door, his doctors had told him that perhaps the queen could use a soup. “sorry, my queen, but I wanted to make sure you were okay”

“It’s alright, my king”she spoke softly “I have great news to tell you”


	5. The jokers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can’t think of anything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like my story?

The stranger had returned to the hut that he lived at, where his companion was playing with the dolphin he had gotten a few days before. Between themselves, they could see their actual faces: a man with white hair and red eyes, and a young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. 

“Mr Gilbert, do you want to see my new drawing ?” A small voice asked. 

“Of course, Peter” as of now, he could use his real name. 

The boy proudly showed him his newest drawing: a big boat sailing through the sea, with five figures on it. The captain of the ship seemed to be the smallest of them. 

“I’m going to be the best sailor of my kingdom! No,of the kingdoms ! Wait, even better: of the world!” Peter said smiling. 

Gilbert smiled and sighed. He didn’t have the heart to tell him the truth, so he usually just let the boy tell him any dream he had. 

Neither hadn’t aged, perhaps as a result of what happened five years prior. 

For reasons they didn’t know, they could feel something calling them to a mysterious well in the forest of the Center, which connected the four kingdoms. The kings and queens had reunited to argue about something that they couldn’t even remember 

King Gilbert simply ordered to be left alone while he went on a walk, while Prince Peter simply snuck away from his family. King Ivan had seen the young child, and followed him as he was worried something could happen to him. Why didn’t he inform his family? The King felt the boy wouldn’t have appreciated a snitch. 

A strange sensation had told them to go, and it kept guiding them further into the woods. It was surprising how fast they walked, specially Prince Peter. Poor king Ivan couldn’t keep up and seemed to be exhausted. 

At some point, they reached the source of the sensation. Something encouraged King Gilbert to look down the hole, and as soon as he did, he fell down, as if someone had pushed him . Did he fall for five second, five minutes, fifty minutes ? Did he fall from one meter, ten meter or a hundred meter ? He couldn’t tell, but all he could look at was darkness. 

Prince Peter had seen him fall, and rushed to see if he needed help. Did he trip with a root or his own feet? The young prince still couldn’t tell. He tried to hold to avoid falling, which gave enough time to king Ivan to rush to his aid 

“ _I don’t want to die” cried the young boy, as he held with all his strength to the king’s hand_

_ “I will save you, I promise” King Ivan was a strong man, but he somehow couldn’t pull a ten year old boy up.  _

_ It felt as if something wanted the boy to fall, even as he cried and begged for help. The poor child’s grasp was slipping, and the desperate King could only watch as the boy fell. King Ivan cried heavily, and his mind (or perhaps something else)decided that it would be kinder if he couldn’t remember what actually happened.  _

_ But there wasn’t a sound that confirmed if they did indeed fall... _

A mysterious female voice had then spoke to them, telling them that the kingdoms needed the king and the prince to protect them. Gilbert couldn’t remember most of what it said simply because it sounded something of a boring old story, and prince Peter the as too busy crying.The only thing they both heard was the voice telling them they couldn’t go back to their regular lives. 

Luckily the voice knew that their powers would act by themselves, so the explanation was merely a formality. 

King Gilbert could see the past, be it the past minute or ancients times, which helped him see how they had fallen. 

Peter, while he didn’t really know it, could see the future. He would be asleep when his power manifested, making him speak about anything that could cause any major problem within the kingdoms. 

Gilbert was skeptical at first, but unfortunately, the death of the Diamond Queen and her brother had proved it. He regretted not having believed on their powers at first, as it could have saved them.

But there was a good reason for him not wanting to try to: their appearances had been changed and it would be difficult for anyone to recognize them. While Gilbert’s had black hair and black eyes, Peter had red hair and his eyes where red as well. 

This proved useful, as it was a good way from keeping the young boy from trying to run home. It pained Gilbert with all his soul, but he had told Peter a big lie: the boy still believed that his mother was alive. 

What good would it be if he went, and found that his mother died of a broken heart upon his death? His father could perhaps also be too blinded by grief to believe the story, meaning silence was the only good option....

“Do you like the gift the Diamond kingdom sent you?” Gilbert asked. 

Peter nodded “His name is Star” he answered. 

“That’s a nice name “ Gilbert answered and pet his hair gently. “I’ll go make dinner, you stay here playing.”

The boy nodded and took his dolphin, he loved to pretend they were on the sea. 

Gilbert sighed. He couldn’t tell the boy the truth entirely, or it would break his heart. After all, he was still an older brother and had to take care of him. 

For a while, he wondered why had the voice push them through the well, if that was sure to be a good cause to start a war against the Club kingdom. But then he realized something important: a war could break at any moment, but that was just one of the possibilities. 

He would still need to go warn any kingdom of an imminent threat, but also tell whoever was in charge to knock off with something that could cause trouble. 

Still, the ex-king had to admit that the scenario could have been worse. He decided that maybe it would be a good idea to go give the monarchs a visit in a couple of months, perhaps nine. (That wasn’t an excuse to meet his future niece or nephew, or Elizabetha’s child. It was just a very good amount of time to wait). He would have to use that weird way of talking, but it would be worth it. 

Peter, on the other hand, was just waiting for dinner to be made. He was so happy with his dolphin, as it had been a gift from his aunt and uncle. He wondered what had Mr.Gilbert told them, or why they had an stuff animal on the first place. He would love to go with Gilbert the next time, but it was better if he brought up the next time. 

What were their roles? They weren’t a king, a prince, a queen or a jack. Those two were now the kingdoms’ Jokers. 


End file.
